Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool Congress national General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee maintained a subtle distance from Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi even while slamming his disqualification from the Lok Sabha.
Both Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee gave a message on this issue through their respective Twitter handles but both refrained from naming Gandhi.
According to the Chief Minister, in the current India, the BJP always targets opposition leaders with disqualification for speeches being the latest development on this count.
“In PM Modi’s New India, Opposition leaders have become the prime target of BJP! While BJP leaders with criminal antecedents are inducted into the cabinet, Opposition leaders are disqualified for their speeches. Today, we have witnessed a new low for our constitutional democracy,” her Twitter message read.
On the other hand, Abhishek Banerjee’s message was even more crisp as he did not even make a subtle mention of the disqualification issue. “DEMOCRATIC INDIA is an OXYMORON Now,” his Twitter message read.
Political observers feel that through these guarded Twitter messages, the two Banerjees have given a subtle hint that despite not missing a single opportunity to attack the Union government or the Prime Minister on any issue, the Trinamool will refrain from extending sympathetic reactions about any Congress leader on this count.
“Last, while announcing the decision to maintain a distance with Congress, Trinamool Congress leadership described Rahul Gandhi as being highlighted and used as a trap by the Prime Minister and BJP to prevent opposition parties from getting united nationally. Now, within less than seven days had the Trinamool Congress reversed its stand and expressed sympathetic reactions about Rahul Gandhi, it could have looked odd. So, such guarded messages have been shared,” a senior city-based political observer said.
–IANS